BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been taken to London for advanced medical treatment.

On Wednesday, January 8, at 2:58 PM Bangladesh time, the royal air ambulance carrying Khaleda Zia landed at London’s Heathrow International Airport. Welcoming her at the airport were her eldest son and BNP’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, along with his wife, Dr. Zubaida Rahman. After exchanging greetings with family and supporters, Khaleda Zia was transported to the London Clinic.

The BNP had earlier announced that Khaleda Zia would be admitted to the London Clinic for her initial treatment. Following her stay there, she is expected to travel to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Maryland, USA, for further medical care.

Photographs released by BNP's media cell showed an emotional reunion as Tarique Rahman and Dr. Zubaida Rahman embraced Khaleda Zia after a prolonged separation. Present at the airport to welcome her were UK BNP President M. A. Malek, General Secretary Qaisar M. Ahmed, and many other BNP leaders and activists.

Khaleda Zia departed from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Tuesday, January 7, at 11:46 PM. The flight, facilitated by an air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar, traveled via Doha before reaching London.

This marks Khaleda Zia’s first foreign trip since July 15, 2017. In the intervening years, she had not met her son, Tarique Rahman, in person.

In October 2023, three specialist doctors from Johns Hopkins University Hospital traveled to Dhaka to perform a successful procedure on Khaleda Zia’s blood vessels. However, her physicians have since emphasized the urgent need for a liver transplant due to her critical condition caused by liver cirrhosis.

The liver transplant and subsequent treatment are estimated to take around two months. Khaleda Zia’s medical team is hopeful that her ongoing care in London and the United States will facilitate her recovery.